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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27978474">Breaking the News (OC)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jack_Francis_Kelly/pseuds/Jack_Francis_Kelly'>Jack_Francis_Kelly</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>When the strike fails [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Character Death, F/M, Hugs, Jack Kelly I'm sorry, Race needs Jack, race needs a hug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:35:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,629</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27978474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jack_Francis_Kelly/pseuds/Jack_Francis_Kelly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Jack dies in the refuge at the hands of Snyder,  Race has to tell everyone. </p><p>OC edition</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>When the strike fails [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1705561</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Alice & Eliza</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitchiaintanonymous/gifts">Bitchiaintanonymous</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Once Katherine was asleep, in the bed that Jack stayed in when he did sleep inside, it dawned upon Race he’d have to tell more people. Red, Blue, Backbone, Eliza and Alice all had to know the last time they saw Jack was actually the last time. This would be hard. He figured the girls first. Then the adults. The adults would hurt the most but he felt a lot more comfortable hugging the guys who helped raise him. Mid day he ventured off. To break the horrible news.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.. Race what's wrong?” Eliza asked. She always knew. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did everyone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-No…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay okay breathe with me Race, in and out, okay?” He did as instructed. “Good, amazing job. Proud of you Race.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jackie would say that…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-Wheres Alice…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Home, I was going over, want to come, its clearly important.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“P-Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Lets go Race.” She gave him a warm smile. He couldn’t return it. “Scary?” He nodded. She picked up on the fact he wasn't in the mood to talk but did want to be alone. They got to Alices. He saw her parents and almost broke down. Alice’s father was related to the man who took his brother away from him. Forever. The two men didn’t look identical at all, nowhere near as similar as Mike and Ike. One could still tell they were related though. That’s what hurt. They knew Race of course. Jack’s second in command, the kid Jack adored, his eyes would light up at the mention of Race. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh thank god.” Alice hugged him. Thats when the tears started. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Race?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kiddo, come sit.” Alice's father said. They all knew a trip to the refuge was hard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are all of you out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guess?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Physically yeah.” He sniffled. There was a moment of silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone didn’t make it…” Alice’s father said. Tears rushed off Races cheeks, no sign of stopping. The girls panicked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Race. Where's Jack?” Eliza asked, panicked. “Race where is he! He had to have made it out! It’s Jack he always does! Is he hurt where-” Alice's mother hugged her to silence her for the moment. Alice just stood frozen. The room was silent for five minutes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He… he didn’t want anyone getting h-hurt. Spida was more than h-happy to hear that. He got all of us cause of the strike but… J-Jacks who h-he wanted. Jackie said it h-had ta be h-him takin the blows… he started the strike, he was why we were there. T-Thats not me blamin ‘im. I’d never… it...it’s just what he said.” he paused, trying to rub his eyes. “It had been days… we just kept hearing Jack c-cry… or yell.. Begging for it to stop but… Spida said one of us would g-get hurt… and Jack didn’t want that. T-Then… I heard the loudest most painful s-scream e-ever. A-and…” He couldn’t continue. They let him take his time. “He threw Jack in. He was covered in blood. Hardly breathing. We all came around him. Said goodbye. I don’t even know if he heard or understood us.” He said, not a single stutter. He felt numb. He couldn’t believe it was real.     He said. Thank god Alices mother was holding on to Eliza because if not she would have hit the ground so hard it would leave a bruise. She sobbed, Alice ran to her mother in desperate need for a hug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Race, do the police know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Medda called them… screaming and crying that Snyder killed her baby boy… He’s always been like a son to her. They better fucking do something about it. Snyders gotten away with hurting Jack for way too long. Now he’s fucking dead. And it was avoidable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Race...don’t go anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I….I have to… three guys still gotta know…. And…. thats gonna suck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Red, Blue and Backbone. Red and Blue found Jack… they found him five years old in need of someone… he was their everything, their favorite little. Sold with the kid til he was eight or nine… thne Red left then Blue. And Backbone… god where to start… he’s known Jack just as long as them. He adored the kid. Him and Jack were inseparable. He’s gotten Jack out of so much. Jack got to have an ounce of a childhood with him. Jackie took over when he was 13, he was a kid. He didn’t know how the hell to take care of a wild group of boys, did fantastic though. Backbone would calm him down constantly. They’re best buds. I dunno how to tell them…. And the babies… I’m praying someone else is tellin Scout and Half-pint…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take a break Race… you need to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to go to the older boys… they're my brothers. I was their second favorite. They gotta know there ain’t no Jack anymore. Someones gotta tell ‘em he went to a different kinda Santa Fe.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One more hour here okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine..” He said. Race went over to the girls and just hugged them. The three of them adored each other, he jut saw them a lot less than Jack did. They were smaller tan him. They used to be taller but now they were just small. They hugged for the entire hour. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I gotta go.. I love you. Jack would want you to know the same… he loved you two so much. He loved telling us about you two… you were his sisters…” He wiped his eyes. Then headed out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Red & Blue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Race knocked on Blues door. Blue who opened it and squeezed him into a hug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Race I’m so proud of you. You guys are doing something amazing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Blue… sit…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whats wrong kiddo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-We…. We all got thrown in jail……”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh… god kid I’m so sorry.. Come here.” He hugged him again. “Break out or let out?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“L-Let out…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah… all of you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not Jack.” He teared up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh… shit… okay well we’ll go get hi-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-No… like.. The reason we got out i-is… because…. H-he killed Jack.” He said, bawling once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Race… a-are you serious…” The boy just nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In my arms Blue… he….I t-tried to make him f-feel safe… b-but.” Blue was crying now too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was so young… Jesus Christ, Race Jack’s a baby…” He sniffled. “Who else knows..?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I jus’ gotta tell Red n’ Backbone…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll come okay…? I don’t want you doing this alone… I can’t even imagine how hard it is reliving it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Its so hard… t-thank you…”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked in silence, Race clung on to him regardless . they finally made it to Reds. Race was once again pulled into a hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell is wrong with you two..?” He asked a bit worried.    </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kids got cought and thrown in jail.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jesus Christ… Race you made it out     </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We got let out cause…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cause….?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He… He…” Tears continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Want me to tell him kid…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please…. I-I can’t do it anymore….”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Jack’s dead… He killed Jack. H-Had to let the kids go after that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What..? Jack…”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I-In my arms…” Race said. They all hugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit… he got Cowboy…” He said. Race nodded, sobbing. They all were all crying. For a while. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I ha-have to tell Backbone… I feel s-sick… I-I had to tell M-Medda, Katherine, Spot.. Eliza and Alice a-and now y-you… b-but Backbones different.. H-how do I tell h-him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-We’ll come. He’s our little guy, he’s your big guy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was Jack’s hero.” He said sobbing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Race the girl you mentioned before Ka-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Katherine?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah. Jack seemed happy with her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack was head over heels for her” He sadly laughed. “Never saw him like that… she um… she’s Pulitizers kid… but, on our side completely… when we told her she went to stay with us… she didn’t wanna be near Pulitzer. She flipped out on him and stayed with us… then just stayed… we all… we looked at Jack's stuff. She cried realizing how much she liked him… we saw his star.. The one he really likes. But… I promise I’m gonna take good care of her. For him.” He wiped his eyes. They hugged him. Then walked their way to Backbone. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and big guy tomorrow.... that one might hurt</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Backbone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Race knocked on the door. Backbone answered, smile on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! This is a surpri- woah whats wrong.. Racey bud…” He hugged him tight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-Strike I-I…. Jack…. R-refuge… S-that spider…. B-bad.” Is all he could say, and Backbone knew. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Strike didn’t go well… that spider got Jack, Jack’s in the refuge and it's bad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-No… Kinda…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Backbone… take a seat…” Blue said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh… alright?” He sat down. Red hugged Race tight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He got all the kids… Jack is Jack and would not let him touch them. He… Jesus Christ… He um…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He what?” Backbone asked, shrinking in size. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He killed Jack…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-What… no.. where’s Jack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“M-Meddas… She… She got the people… I dunno what people… b-but they’s gonna t-take ‘im s-so we can have a funeral…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-yes…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jackie…” He said broken. “Fuck…” Now he was crying. “He's a baby. Jackie’s a baby… that spider took him… and killed him… He was a baby…” He said. Blue rubbed his back. “Little Jackie… the kiddo we’d have to chase around… best hugs… best cuddles… cutest laugh and smile… he took that kid away from us…” He said Race had never seen a grown adult crying so hard. It didn’t stop him from crying either. They sobbed, all hugs. They shared stories remembering Jack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“His first day on the job he felt bad so he gave a person or two money back. He was the cutest five year old out there.” Blue said, they sadly laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kid was clumsy… tripped and fell… sold lots of papes that day..” Red chucked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think thats bad? Jackie was flirting with a girl one time and went to lean on the wall and completely missed… went face first into a puddle... never let him forget that.” Race said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah? He was home once, Blue didn’t let him out cause he was coughing a bit, I had to watch him and he completely flipped off of the bunk.” Backbone said. “God and that kid's heart was too big for his chest.  Always coming home with kiddos he found. Hey Race.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Red and Blue were there too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was all Jack’s idea and you know it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah... and he was so nice too… he made me feel so so safe.... For the first time in a while. He was the best… It’s weird… I thought he’d always be here with me to make me feel safe… never in my life did I think I’d be comforting him while he was dying…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey…” They hugged him </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanna talk about it Race?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno… I was gonna go after Spida once he threw him in, Al said that was a bad idea, everyone said their goodbyes... the Crutchie… then me… and.. We tried to make him feel better. Crutchie said… H-He… He told J-Jack it was okay and t-that he was going to Santa Fe… and he was going so I said he was almost there… he was gonna see where it was clean and green and pretty cause he would say that… and his eyes shut...” he cried again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey… hey bud… you did good… thats all you could have done for him… The fact that he shut his eyes shows that… he was done fighting the inevitable...you and Crutchie helped him get to Santa Fe…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not fair Jesus Christ.. He was so good…. He did EVERYTHING to keep us safe.. Even in his last days on the planet… he coulda done so much good… b-but…. Spida killed him…. Spida kidded him while he begged for him not to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah woah… you… you left out that part….”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-Spida took me away after…. Being an ass as if the kid I love more than anything didn’t just die in my arms… He called Jack an asshole right after he died… his body was literally still in my arms… he asked who'd be in charge and I said me… cause thats what Jackie would say… and… and he said from one asshole to the next. Then he took me away and told me everything…”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He ripped out the knife. The trembling boys eyes grew huge. He knew this wouldn’t be a cut. He knew this was it. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“N-No....” He begged. Yet he still knew it would come no matter what. Snyder was determined. He wanted Jack gone so he’d get it. Jack knew this of course, he’s known the man almost all of his soon to be cut short life. The look on his face was the look of a child, a child who knew he lost an battle that had been happening for years. A boy who was so tired and not yet ready to die. “Please! I-I’ll do anything! I’s only seventeen! P-Please!” He begged again, still knowing the fate that lied ahead. The fate he was so scared for. He wasn’t even ashamed of the tears. He was terrified. What happens when you die? What happens when the man whos hated you since you were five years old finally kills you, only took him twelve years. What happens when your brothers- your FAMILY find out you were murdered in the place you’re terrified of by the man who started those fears. The man pulled him close so he could whisper in his ear.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, Kelly. This is it.” He whispered darkly, impaling the young boy who let out the most heart wrenching scream anyone in the refuge had ever heard. Jack felt pain he never even imagined. He would not wish this on anyone, not even the man whos arms he was in as he bled out. How would his siblings in the other room deal with this.  There was one thing he needed to say. This was not his ideal last words but he knew he had to ask before he became too weak to speak.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“W...Why?” Race said. “His last words were ‘why’” That crushed the older boys. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hes a baby… hes an actual baby… fuck he’s a baby.” Backbone said, face in his hand. Jack really was a baby to him. No matter how big he got, he always pictured that sassy five year old kid. “God when I get my hands on-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack wouldn’t want you to. You know that…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No buts. He wouldn’t want it. I was about to do something real dumb. But I didn’t. Cause Jackie wouldn’t want me to.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… no… no he wouldn’t. Fuck I’d give aything to say one more word to the kid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me… n-no you wouldn’t… you wouldn’t wanna see him. It was bad.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Race I’d give anything to hold his hand in the moment and promise him hed feel so much better soon. No matter how bad he looked. He’s my baby brother Race.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And he’s my big brother. You wouldn’t know what to do Backbone. It would fuck you up. Badly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… but… fuck Race… I’m never gonna see him again....”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Backbone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I stay here tonight…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… stay in Jackie’s room….”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay…” he sniffled. Eventually Red and Blue. Race went to Jacks future room. Backbone sat with him Race hugged him tight. Sobbing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What am I gonna do. I don’t know what to do without Jack. I-I have to take care of everyone now. I can’t even take ccare of myself.” He sobbed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey… hey buddy you don’t need to jump into it. I’ll help you,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not the same. Jack said he would. Jack’s supposed to always be here… and he’s not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know… this sucks... “</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So much…” He sobbed. He  fell asleep in Backbone's arms. Backbone who also fell asleep right there. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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